New curriculum making it easier for students to take up a trade

School leavers will benefit from an accelerated pathway from Year 12 to TAFE NSW with the NSW Government announcing a new program to incentivise study at TAFE.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the program will to make it more attractive for high school students to take up a trade or apprenticeship by allowing students to receive recognition for what they have already learnt at school.

Today’s announcement follows the Government’s release of the interim curriculum review which indicated there needs to be greater focus on embedding trade education within senior years of the curriculum. The review also noted the need for greater collaboration between schools, vocational education providers, universities and industry.

“We are focused on preparing young people for the jobs of the future,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This announcement will allow school leavers to build skills across emerging industries such as advanced manufacturing, technology and engineering.

“We want universities and VET to be thought of in the same sentence for young people looking to prepare themselves for the high value jobs of the future.”

Mr Lee said that around a quarter of students who start a bachelor degree but drop out of university could be better suited to attending TAFE.

“We are incentivising high-achieving HSC students into our vocational education sector by giving them a head-start at TAFE NSW,” Mr Lee said.

“We will do this by mapping HSC units to vocational competencies and allowing eligible students to proceed straight to assessments.

“Educational research identifies that some students are feeling pressured to go to university, regardless of whether it’s the best option for their future careers.”

HSC subjects that could qualify for these new TAFE pathways include mathematics, engineering studies, industrial technology and, software design and development.

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